


Lost In The Moment

by Lizphills500



Series: Money Doesn't Buy Your Dreams [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Stripper/Exotic Dancer, Client Loki, Loki puts his foot in it, M/M, Steve is NOT a prostitute, Stripper Steve, UST
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-25
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-12-06 02:25:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11591001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lizphills500/pseuds/Lizphills500
Summary: Steve is a dancer at the newly opened Avengers Strip Club.  Loki is a client looking to escape an awkward situation.  This won't run smoothly for either of them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ShallowGenePool](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShallowGenePool/gifts).



> This is a birthday treat for my fandom husband. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHALLOWGENEPOOL. Thank to Cellis for proofing this one for me.
> 
> It was meant to be a one-shot, but as always with me, it took on a life of its own and went off its own direction. Therefore it has now turned in to a two-part series. Inspired by the many pictures of Loki pole dancing then flipped on its head.

Steve pulled back the curtain at the crowd noting that there were at least three large groups booked in, one of which being a stag party. He could just make out the groom, a tall blond with a veil stuck on his head, clearly a prank by the others around him, which surprisingly included a woman.

The rest of the audience was made up of the regulars, all waiting to see the acts come on. Natasha was likely to be a big hit out there tonight, the red head always putting on an A plus routine. The last time he saw her she was wearing a tight, black cat suit which left little to the imagination before she began to strip.

 

The Avengers strip club had been open for about eighteen months and had been an instant success. Word of its highly trained and professional dancers and hard treatment of those who break the club’s rules soon gained it a good reputation and business was booming. Steve had been a dancer in his early 20’s, working for Sexy, Sensual Recreation (or SSR for short) to pay his way through College, where he had studied Art History. His original plan had been to teach but found he loved dancing more, finding the art in the way he made his body move. The only down side was that many of the clients mistook him for a prostitute and more than one got too hands on for his liking. When he had to physically remove one man from his personal space he’d quit. It had been tough for a while but a change in his circumstances meant that when Nick knocked on his door, asking him to work for him at his new club, he took the chance to do what he loved. 

Avengers catered for both men and women, providing a dedicated room for each. There also wasn’t any discrimination on sexual orientation, so as long as you had the money at the door and obeyed the rules, it was all comers welcome. This had been another major pull for Steve, being gay, he was never 100% comfortable performing for women though it never showed in the acts.

Not that there weren’t rules attached. Steve refused to work the stage as he hated playing to an audience. He would do private shows only and had the right to refuse anyone. Nick, knowing that Steve would be popular once word got out, agreed and had never been given cause to regret it. Steve was always in demand and Nick could fill his appointments three times over, especially as he only worked 3 nights a week.

 

“Rogers” the voice of the stage manager, Phil, called. “Got a client for you.”

“Already?” Steve said surprised. He wasn’t meant to be working tonight, but Sam from the women’s room had called in sick. Clint had to take over his stage shows for the night, meaning Nick was short in the private suites. Given that he had been called in at short notice, Steve hadn’t expected to see anyone for at least another hour.

“Yes. Some guy with the Stag. Doesn’t seem too keen on what the girls have to offer. Asked for the best, for two hours.” Phil said, holding up a large wad of what looked like 20’s, enough to book Steve for two days rather than hours. Clearly this guy had money to burn and an ego to go with it.

Steve parted the curtain again and scanned the area where the stag do was. It didn’t take long to figure out who his client might be. Standing a little away from the group was a tall, dark haired man. He wasn’t dressed like the others, who seemed to be in smart casual wear. He was dressed in a dark suit, which even from this distance, looked like it cost a lot of money. He couldn’t make out anymore of his face and his first instinct was to say no but something about the way he held himself caught Steve’s interest.

“Ok, give me time to get changed. Hope he knows there will be breaks.” Steve said, heading for the dressing room.

Phil walked with him. “I’ve told him you’ll do three 20min sets with 20mins between. He’s not a fool, he knows you can’t dance for the whole two hours. I think the rest is so he can use the room. I think he’s hiding.”

Steve nodded. Phil always seemed to have the knack of reading the clients, knowing what they wanted even before they did. Made him more than worth what Nick pays him. “Send him to the suite, I’ll be there in a little while.”

 

Loki was standing away from Thor and his idiot friends, trying to pretend he wasn’t here at all. Thor was getting married in the morning and their mother had begged Loki to go with him to make sure he got home and actually make it to the church, preferably on time. Loki didn’t really enjoy clubs like this, where everything was on show, but it was what his brother had wanted for his stag and Loki provided the best. 

That didn’t mean he had to babysit him for the whole evening. Let the so-called wonder three and that bitch Sif do that job. He also wasn’t interested in watching the girls on stage. He wasn’t interested in this sort of thing full stop, but if he had to look at a naked body he preferred privacy and it to be masculine. 

He glanced around the room and spotted the manager he had talked to earlier. Seeing that Thor was already knocking back the shots, it was likely that his absence would not be noticed. He waved over a scantily dressed hostess, ordered another two rounds of shots for the group on his tab, before heading to the manager.

“Your private room is ready sir. You will have exclusive use of it for the next two hours.” The manager said with a clear, business like way. To be honest, Loki would have thought he worked in an office rather than a strip club.

“Thank you. And it is your best dancer?” Loki asked. If he was going to do this, he wasn’t having some cheesy second-rate stripper. He had considered telling them to simply skip the dancer, but it seemed that they were reluctant to let him use a room alone as the dancers would miss out on the tips, which many of them lived on. 

“I am confident you will find him more than satisfying. Now, I have a waiver for you to sign. You must also follow the rules. You may talk to the dancer but not touch and any attempt will result in your ejection from the club. The dancer has the right to leave at any time but a refund will only be provided if it’s not in any way a result of your actions. All rooms are recorded but only the dancer’s stage is in shot and all records are deleted at the end of the night. Do you agree to these rules?” Phil asked.

Loki blinked at the list of conditions to watch a stripper but then it was nice to see a club that protected its workers, which wasn’t always the case. It wasn’t like he was really going to pay that much attention anyway. He took the pen and signed the waiver. Satisfied, Phil led Loki to the plain door of the private room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki gets the first taste of our dancer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok don't normally post twice in one day, but someone needs a pick me up :)

Steve adjusted the collar on his leather jacket. He didn’t really go in for fancy costumes like some of his fellow dancers. He preferred to look like a normal guy dressed in normal clothes, of course with some clever stitching to allow easy removal. So he was in tight jeans, which hugged every curve of his ass and thighs, and a white wife beater under the jacket. He did use a couple of props, but nothing outrageous. Right now, there was a chair on the small stage.

Steve could see the client and he had to admit he was very good looking. He had been right about the suit, it was clearly tailored and he filled it very well. He still couldn’t make out much of his face as he was focused on his phone. Still he was sure he will get a good look when he starts to dance. His routine rarely failed to attract attention and he was sure that this one would no different.

Taking a moment to get himself into the right mindset, he switched on the music and stepped through the curtain. The room was filled with melody of the rock song that repeated for the whole set and he stepped to the front of the stage, a confident swagger to his hips. The man hardly looked up before fixing his eyes firmly on his phone. 

Steve narrowed his eyes, but carried on, swaying his hips in time with the music. He ran his hands up his chest, before lifting them over his head, stretching to highlight the muscles that were hidden under his shirt. He then moved to the chair pulling it around so he at first sat leaning over then back, then flipping it round so he was leaning back on the back. His legs were spread wide, the jeans pulled tight around over the outline of his cock.

The dance progressed slowly, the aim to tease the client, tempting him to come forward to touch, knowing that he couldn’t. It took Steve nearly five minutes to get the jacket off, the leather slowing dropping first to his elbows then the floor as he moved to the music. The wife beater was next. He ripped it down the front, stopping half way, again to give the client a glimpse of what was on show. Each motion of his limbs was timed perfectly, deliberately planned so his hard worked for muscles were shown to their best advantage.

Steve was so lost in dance, he didn’t notice that his client was ignoring him. The remains of the top was lying on the floor and his chest, tanned skin oiled to highlight the pecs and abs, was on full display before he looked up and the man was still looking at his bloody phone. Why the hell did he hire a dancer then spend nearly 15mins looking at a screen? Steve paused for a moment, his hands stopped at his waist band. 

The rational part of his brain told him to let it go, that the guy had paid his money and it was up to him if he watched the performance or not. But Steve’s pride was bruised. This guy was being rude and that was one of his pet hates. No, this guy was going to watch the end of this dance at least, if it was his thing or not. Using his foot Steve tapped the chair, which was now behind him, causing it to tip back and fall to the floor with a clatter.

 

Loki flipped to the next page of the document he had been reading. He had been assigned a case this week which was proving far more difficult then he thought. His law practice mostly did criminal defence work so he was the only partner working any civil cases that came their way, not as much regular work but a lot less pressure. He was representing a wife whose husband was guilty of multiple infidelities, but they also had a very complicated pre-nup agreement. It was his job right now to wade through all the double talk and find out what the poor woman was entitled to. The husband’s lawyers would certainly be doing the same and hoping to get her to agree to a much smaller settlement before Loki told her what she was entitled to and he was not going to let that happen.

He had heard the music playing and had glanced up at the beginning. The dancer was pleasant to look at from the back and moved very well in time to the beat of the rock song, but Loki was determined to finish checking this paper work before he had to drag Thor from the public room. So his attention had been fixed to his screen since then.

He wasn’t sure how long he had been working when the sound of the chair hitting the wooden floor of the stage caused him to snap his eyes up to the direction the noise had come from. Loki found himself looking straight into the stalking blue eyes of the half-naked dancer on the stage. How had he missed how handsome he was? The dark blonde hair, the strong jaw line and that sea of muscle that was the man’s chest and arms!. Loki was sure he had only seen this man in his fantasies before. 

But it wasn’t just his looks. His eyes burned with passion and a little hint of anger. The dancer was clearly upset that Loki hadn’t been paying attention and he guessed that the chair falling hadn’t been an accident. This man wanted Loki to look at him. He wanted him to see him dance.

Now he had his attention, the dancer started moving again and Loki could not take his eyes away. Each movement of his arms, each gyration of his hips, all had a fluidity that came from both practice and a natural talent. This man was born to dance, to strip.

The Dancer’s hands had returned to his waist band and he slowly undid the button before sliding the zipper down. Loki could just glimpse the top of the red underwear the dancer was wearing, but not enough to see what type it was. He checked his watch. There was only a few minutes left of this set and Loki had been told that while he didn’t go full-nude, the dancer’s pants were coming off very soon.

The Dancer turned now edging the waist down a little, the tops of his ass showing as well as the lengths of material that could only mean a jock strap. Loki’s mouth went dry and his cock hard as he began to imagine what was hidden by those jeans. 

The Dancer now gripped both side of said jeans and jerked forward, ripping them clean away from his legs. He threw them over his shoulder and they landed at Loki’s feet. Loki could now see then back of the man and he wasn’t sure he wanted anything else more in his life. The muscles continued giving the dancer perfectly sculptured legs and a firm tight ass.

There was now only one secret left and slowly the man turned until he faced Loki once more, his eyes full of triumph as if he had won a battle. Loki’s eye fell instantly to the dancer’s cock, still concealed in the jock strap. Even hidden, he could see that it had to be above average and he ached to reach out to pull it free, hoping to see it as hard as he was. He wanted this man to want him too.

The music came to an abrupt end and the dancer, with only one more glance at Loki, gathered his props off the stage and ducked back behind the curtain.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our favourite icon makes an appearance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I couldn't resist.

Steve was sitting in the changing room, trying to decide if he was going to go out for the second routine. He knew that if he didn’t Phil would have to refund that guy’s fee and there certainly wouldn’t be a tip. Steve didn’t need the tips he earned, but he gave them to Nat who split them with the other dancers. But then given that the client hadn’t showed any interest in him, what were the chances of him leaving a tip anyway?

Well that wasn’t completely true. After Steve had sent the chair crashing to the floor, the man had watched though the last few minutes of the performance although watching was putting it mildly. When their eyes locked that first time, Steve had struggled to look away. Those green eyes were so deep, he thought he was going to drown in them. He was very attractive, being tall, slim and pale. 

Steve had to force himself back on to the task in hand, finishing his set quickly. When he risked another look at the client, he looked like he wanted to eat Steve alive, which made Steve stir a little. This wasn’t the first time he had received that look when he was dancing, but something about this man was different. He didn’t feel like a convenient body, it felt more. 

This was another reason to ask Phil to find another dancer to perform for this guy. This could be treading on dangerous ground. But then Steve knew there wasn’t really anyone else free.

“You ok, Steve?” Clint asked, dressed in a cowboy outfit ready to go on stage.

Steve blinked, not realizing that he hadn’t been alone. “Yea, I’m good. The client in three is hard going and I’ve got two more with him.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll nail it, you always do. Can’t remember the last time you left someone not wanting for more.” Clint replied with a smile, reaching for a ten-gallon hat from the stand.

“Right, if I was a Mac, I’m sure he’ll love me.” Steve shot back sarcastically. “The guy barely looked up from his phone the whole time. Must have been pretty bad if he needed to check out porn while I was in the room.”

“Well make sure you wow him this time. Why not use one of the costumes? Something that’ll make him look up?” Clint suggested as he left the room.

Steve thought for a moment. He glanced at the costume rack, spotting a blue, red and white outfit which could make an impact. He changed quickly and then checked his watch. Seeing the time, he headed back to the stage of the private room, ready for act two.

 

Loki had tried to refocus on his work after the dancer left the stage, but the image of the muscular, oiled body kept dancing before his eyes. Oh yes, the man had the type of body that you would expect from a stripper, it was his main asset in his profession after all. But this man danced as if it wasn’t for money rather that it was the air he needed to breath and that was just from the last minute he had seen. He couldn’t help wishing he hadn’t missed the rest of the act. 

Seeing as he couldn’t get on with his work and after he had checked in on Thor and grabbed some water, he still had quite a bit of time to kill. It didn’t help that his cock was still semi hard and calling out for attention. He refused to open his pants in a place like this, but couldn’t help rubbing himself though his clothes.

His pleasure was interrupted by the music starting again. Loki was surprised to hear the tune to The Star-Spangled Banner ringing out, before the dancer marched on to the stage. Loki could believe his eyes. The dancer was dressed in a skin-tight blue what could only be described as a cat suit. The section around his middle was vertical strips of red and white and there was a white star in the centre of his chest. There was even a mask and a red and white shield also bearing a star in the blue centre. He could easily be a look alike for the hero of the comics Loki used to read as a kid.

The dancer stood to attention until the music changed, this time a swing number from the 50’s. It seemed an odd choice but the dancer made it work. His routine was a little less refined then the first, as if he didn’t really feel as comfortable in the costume he was using, but this didn’t matter really.

Loki found he wasn’t really keeping track on the performance itself, instead he was wondering what this lovely man was doing having to work like this. And he couldn’t help thinking about what it would take to get him into his bed. Loki wasn’t a fool, he knew that most dancers were more than willing to become more intimate for the right price. Although Loki also couldn’t help wishing that he had met this man elsewhere, anywhere else and that any further relations wouldn’t be a business transaction. Loki didn’t want it to be just that at all.

The costume, like the jeans before, had been tailored for purpose and soon the top half was hanging open, even though originally it looked as if it was all one piece. The shield had been tossed to one side as the dancer’s hands moved up his legs, pulling the tight fabric even tighter. The top was discarded and now the dancer’s attention was on getting rid of the trousers.

Loki noted that there wasn’t any outline at the waist for underwear and he realised that it was very possible that the man had nothing on underneath. The dancer moved to retrieve the shield and held it in front of his groin, hiding it from view. With his free hand, the man ripped away the trousers, the shield not moving an inch.

This was the ultimate tease. Everything suggested that the dancer was naked behind the prop but Loki couldn’t see to know if was true or not. He simply had to guess. This time rather then turning away, the dancer backed towards the curtain as the music was coming to an end. His eyes were fixed on Loki in a way that seemed to be almost a challenge, daring him to do something but what Loki had no way of knowing. One thing was for certain, he was going after this man, one way or another.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The temperature- rises even more for both our boys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, this chapter is a little bit shorter, but I make up for in the next I hope

Loki was ready when the dancer’s final break was over. He had once more ensured that Thor hadn’t managed to get himself kicked out and even gotten himself a drink of something stronger then water. He never needed Dutch courage before but then he never thought of approaching a stripper like this before either. As he settled back onto the sofa, the music of a popular pop song filled the room.

This time it was a much slower pace and Loki found himself staring at the stage in anticipation. He didn’t have to wait long as the dancer walked through the curtain with the same certainty in his step he had before in the first dance. He was clearly back in his comfort zone. 

He was wearing a pair of work trousers, with braces and a plaid button-down shirt. It was a much looser outfit but given that Loki had already seen what was underneath twice, it was just as inviting as before. This time there was no prop on the stage, so this performance would be all about the dancer’s body.

The dancer began to move, making a number of dips and bends in time to the music, each movement was once more showing off a part of his body. Slowly the clothes began to come off, first the braces which were pushed off his shoulders one at a time, until they hung from his hips.

As Loki watched, he realised that while he wanted to see beneath those clothes, he would prefer to find out more about the dancer and to do that he would need to actually talk to him. Luckily for him that well within the rules, so long as the other man was willing. He beckoned the dancer over, hoping he was agreeable.

 

Steve had just slipped the shirt off his shoulders when he noticed the client was waving him over to him. Clearly, he wanted a closer performance which Steve was happy to oblige. Given the attitude his client had shown during the first dance, he had been reluctant to use his more sexual moves. It seems he had now gotten into the right mood. He hadn’t failed to notice that the client had been rubbing himself thought his clothes, something he was pleased about given the less then promising start. It wasn’t like he had been the first man who had jerked off while watching Steve, that was part of the point. He couldn’t help but wonder if he could make him finish this time. He could tell somehow that this guy would look amazing during his climax. 

Steve let his shirt fall to the floor then slowly stepped off the stage. As he walked towards the sofa, his hands went to his waistband and undid the button and slide down the zip, once more letting the client glimpse the red jock strap below. As he reached the sofa the client opened his mouth to say something. 

Steve put his finger to his lips “Later.”

The sofa was set back into an alcove with the frame well within arm’s length, so Steve reached up and gripped the edge. Then slowly, deliberately he began to thrust his hips forward, rotating them as he went. The client’s eyes dropped to Steve’s groin. He clearly wanted to see more and Steve was again happy to oblige. Letting go of the frame, he pushed the pants down further down his thighs until they dropped to the floor on their own. Gracefully, he stepped from them and was now naked apart from the jock strap. He straddled the client’s hips. Holding the back of the sofa, he began to lift himself up as if he was riding the client and jerking his hips forwards as dips, like he was trying to rut into the hard cock beneath him.

The client seemed desperate, his hands, in fists, were pressed hard in to his legs stopping him from touching Steve. He looked up into Steve’s face and their eyes locked once more. And Steve knew he was in trouble. This might have been just another client, but this man was something more. There had only been one word exchanged between them and still Steve knew that in different circumstances, this could have been the start of something. Finally giving in to temptation, the client reached out, but didn’t touch his ass or pecs as they normally tried to do. He reached back and rested his hand over Steve’s and Steve let him.

It took a moment for Steve to realise that the music had finished but when he did, he practically jumped up from the sofa. He hurried to collect his clothes and nearly ran to the curtain. Still he paused and looked back to the dazed client. He wanted to avoid this volatile situation but there was the tip to consider.

“You’ve still got this room for a little while longer. Order some drinks and I’ll be back soon.” Steve said before hurrying to the dressing room.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Steve see each after the show is over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a much longer chapter taking us to the end. please enjoy.

Steve knew this was not a good idea. This was a really bad idea. The last thing he should be doing was going back into the private room, he should be sending someone else in there to try and woo the client into giving more of a tip. Somewhere in the few minutes when he was on the guy’s lap, he had let himself forget that this was a paying client and he let him touch him. That’s wasn’t just against the rules of the club but his own personal rules.

But he also couldn’t stop himself from leaving the changing room and heading back to the private room once more.

 

Loki wasn’t sure what to expect when the dancer re-entered the room. To say that the tension in the last performance was making it hard to breathe was an understatement. He certainly didn’t know what came over him when he grabbed the dancer’s hand. Well he did, but he had thought he had much stronger self-control but that clearly wasn’t the case, when a sex god was practically humping in your lap and looking at you as if you were the centre of his world. What surprised Loki the most was that he wasn’t immediately called out on the infraction and the dancer even said he was coming back. Loki had had to bite his tongue hard not to beg him to get back into his lap and finish what he started.

Loki had to remind himself that no matter how it looked or made him feel, the dancer was there to make money and would use whatever he could to encourage his client to pay a huge tip. Clearly this one was an expert, because he had Loki willing to pay big. Loki would rather not, he had never paid anyone before and had never had to, but this man was different and again Loki wished that this was a chance meeting at a regular bar that could develop into more. Still life was never fair!

The dancer came in through the main door this time rather than through the curtain and to Loki’s surprise was dressed in normal clothes, rather than a skimpy outfit that screamed do me. He was wearing form fitting jeans, which while snug were not tight, a plain light blue fitted t-shirt and a denim jacket over the top. He looked like a normal guy in a bar, just like Loki wanted. This guy was really good at his job.

The dancer smiled and Loki’s cock once more jumped to attention. This guy was just perfect.

“Hey. I’m Grant.” The dancer said, his voice deep and smooth. He remained standing close to the sofa, waiting to be invited to sit.

Loki remembered his manners and moved across the sofa to make room. “Loki. Please sit. I must say you put on a breath-taking performance.”

Grant sat on the sofa, close but with still a gap between them, which while Loki could understand why, it still frustrated him a little.

“Thank you. I aim to please, but I thought I was losing my touch, you didn’t seem that interested earlier, what with having to watch porn on your phone to get you into the mood.” Grant replied, a slight hint on humour in his voice. He seemed to want Loki to squirm a little in revenge.

Loki looked a little startled, not that he had been caught but, that that was what Grant had thought he was doing. It couldn’t have been further from the truth. “Oh, it wasn’t porn. I don’t really go in for that kind of thing. I have a difficult case coming up and was looking at the files. Trust me you did more than keep my attention off my work.”

Grant laughed. “I don’t know if I should be more offended that I was coming seconds to a word document. If you’re not in to porn, why hire me in the first place? I’m sure there were other things you could spend your money on.”

“When you are stuck in a strip club? Please, tell me what?” Loki shot back. “I’m only here because my mother wants me to make sure my brother gets to his wedding. She refuses to allow it to become a hang-over film wanna-be. And it is just shit internet porn that does nothing for me. I may have only hired the room to get away from the oaf and his stupid friends but the real thing certainly got my attention.”

Grant blushed a little at the compliment and that made Loki smile. He knew it was an act but it was still nice to see on the attractive blonde. Now Loki wanted to get away from the dancing and try to get to know the man instead or at least as much as he would share. After all, he was 75% certain that Grant wasn’t his real name.

“So, Grant. What do you do when you aren’t temping people?” Loki asked.

 

Steve had been talking with Loki for the last half hour and couldn’t remember that last time he had been so at ease around a client. He often talked to them after a performance although most of the time it was to continue feeding their egos. This had been nothing like that.

Loki seemed to be interested in him, in who he was, rather than him as a sex symbol. Oh he was confident that Loki found him attractive, he had eyes after all and could read the signs. It was just he seemed to want to know him. Steve was glad he had dressed in regular clothes rather than his post dance outfit of tank top and skimpy shorts that left very little to the imagination. This let him fool himself for a little while longer and Loki seemed to approve. 

Steve slowly began to relax and open up a little, something he had never done. When quizzed on certain subjects such a movies and music, he gave honest answers. He avoided answering questions that could mean Loki could find him on the outside as much as he would have liked it to be possible. The other man seemed to get that and stopped asking, keeping to safer ground.

On the other hand, Loki seemed to talk freely about himself. Steve learned he was a civil lawyer, that he had been adopted, a fact that he didn’t find out until his late teens. It caused a teenage rebellion that had caused a rift with his adopted father that still hadn’t been fully recovered from. He lived on his own, in an apartment. He had few friends having been forced in his youth to stay within his brother’s group.

As they talked Steve began to forget that this man was a paying customer. Sharon had brought in a couple of glasses of bourbon which they sipped on slowly as they laughed and joked. Loki had edged a little closer, still not touching but clearly wanting too. There were little smiles exchanged, knowing glanced that made Steve want the guy even more. The thought of keeping him talking for the tip had gone from his mind. No, he wanted to keep Loki talking to keep him with him that little bit longer. He let himself imagine that this was a chance encounter in a bar, that they would exchange numbers at the end, meet up for coffee, end up in bed together within the week. It was a dream, but one the Steve didn’t want to dispel. 

However it all came to an end far too soon. Loki was telling him about a prank he had pulled on a woman called Sif, when Steve’s beeper went off. A message flashed up on the screen, telling him that one of the other dancers needed the room. The pleasant bubble was burst and reality sunk in once more.

“Wow ok, we apparently have over stayed our welcome.” Steve said very apologetically. He really didn’t want this to end but there was nothing he could do. It was the job. He glanced at his watch. At 11.30, the night still had a couple for hour to go. “I should really be getting back to it. See if Phil has anyone for me.”

Loki, it seemed, had other ideas. He rested his hand once more over Steve’s. “You sure I can’t persuade you to knock off early. We could find an all-night diner, get something to eat. Not glamorous I’ll admit but I’m sure we could make do.”

Steve shook his head. “I can’t.”

But Loki wasn’t taking no for an answer. “Are you sure? You have to admit we gel well together. I just want to get to know you some more, maybe learn your real name?”

Steve paused, his refusal once more on the tip of his tongue. In truth, he was tempted, more than tempted. It fed his fantasy that this was something, that it was real.

Loki sensed his hesitation and continued. “I mean if it’s about the money, I’ll make it worth more to you then what you would get for the rest of the night here. I’ll throw in extra if we, well, let’s see how it goes.”

Steve’s heart sank and the dream he had let himself be fooled by crumbled, badly. Had he simply walked away, he could have kept on believing that it was real. Of course, the truth hurt. It was all about the money. Loki believed that, like so many before him, because he was a stripper that automatically made him a hooker. That he would just jump into bed for the right price. 

“I think you better go.” Steve replied stiffly. He pulled his hand away and put his professional mask on, where it should have been all along. 

Loki looked confused. He wasn’t sure what he had said or done wrong. “Grant, I…..I don’t want you to be out of pocket here. Tell me what you want?”

Steve stood up abruptly and made for the door. Opening it, he turned to hold it open for his client to leave. “I want you to leave.” When Loki didn’t move, frustration got the better of him. “Can I ask you something? Why do people like you, with lots of money to splash around, assume that because I dance for other’s entertainment that I sell my body for it too? I dance because I choose to, because I love what I do and people like you, you label me a whore. Well I’m not a whore. I will never sleep with someone for money.”

Loki looked as if he wanted the ground to swallow him whole. He stood up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t…..I guess I……..I didn’t want you to lose out because of me. I never wanted you to be a whore for me. Can’t we just……..”

“Loki,” Steve interrupted. “You need to go. You paid, I danced and now the deal is done.”

“Everything alright in there?” Clint asked, looking in through the open door.

“Everything is fine, the gentleman was just leaving.” Steve replied.

Loki, seeing he wasn’t going to get any further, pulled out his wallet, emptied all the notes onto the table and said “The tip. I just wish it wasn’t like this.”

He locked eyes with Steve once more and left the room, heading not for the main stage and the stag, rather to the exit. Clearly, he had had enough for the evening. 

Steve walked to the table and picked up the notes, finding well in excess of $500, more than he ever had before. He handed it to Clint.

“Share this around. Make sure Sharon gets some, she was the hostess. I’m telling Phil I’m done for the night.” 

Clint cocked his head. “Steve, what’s up? What did he do? Do you want me to get Nick to put him on the bared list?”

Steve sighed, not wanting to talk about it, but not willing to hurt the guy either. “No, No. He didn’t do anything, not really. It’s just……..Have you ever let anyone get too close?”

“Once or twice! Sometimes you get caught up in the moment and forget that money has changed hands.” Clint replied with a shrug.

“I never have.” Steve said, a determined look on his face. “I’m always in control, always keeping the distance I need to work. So why was I almost going home with him tonight? All he sees is an ass for hire and I let myself believe………I wanted it to be real Clint, for the first time I wanted him not to have paid!”

“If it helps, that look he gave you, I think maybe he might have wanted that too.”

“Well, I’m not likely to find out, am I?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On-wards to part two, when I get it finished.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback as always welcome.


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